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A victory for Brady and the zoning process

Groups and individuals who worked hard for more than five years, attempting to overturn the industrial zoning given to Brady Trucking’s property along the Colorado River, found that the overwhelming majority of city voters who cast ballots Tuesday didn’t agree with them.

Instead, by a margin of nearly 3-1, voters approved Referred Measure A and made it clear they wanted Brady to keep the industrial zoning on its property and allow the company to have the potential to expand onto eight acres it owns, but doesn’t currently use for its operations.

That victory may be seen as a vote in support of a company that has demonstrated its willingness to be a good neighbor, in favor of the jobs that company provides, or in support of the energy industry in which Brady works or all of the above.

But it’s also a vote in support of abiding by a city zoning process that must have some certainty so that businesses and individuals can count on decisions made.

It’s true that Brady had to win city approval for the zoning after it acquired the property in 2006. But the company played by the city rules and was awarded the industrial zoning by the City Council a couple years later. Whether one agrees with that council decision, the fact remains that Brady did everything it was supposed to do in obtaining the zoning it sought.

Five years and multiple court rulings later, the company finally has some certainty about how it may use its property.

Opponents of the zoning accorded to the Brady property also followed a city process outlined in the City Charter, which allows citizen petitions to challenge zoning decisions. However, as we argued earlier, that process is akin to a recall process for elected officials: It should be used only to overturn grossly negligent or improperly made decisions, not simply to overturn zoning that some people dislike.

The majority of voters Tuesday rejected the attempt to overturn Brady’s zoning. We expect the company will continue to operate with the same good-neighbor attitude and maintain its efforts to preserve and protect the riverfront.